Monday, October 19, 2026
Spirituality for the Streets • Wisdom for the Journey • A Fuller Life for Everyone
Eternal Progression • A Fuller Life for Everyone • Live and Help Live
📖 SCRIPTURE FOR THE DAY
“And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”
— Jonah 4:11, KJV
Today, representatives from around the world gather in Yerevan, Armenia, for the opening of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, known as COP17.
They will discuss forests, oceans, wildlife, endangered species, and the future of the living Earth.
But today I want to begin with one of the strangest endings in the entire Bible.
The Book of Jonah ends with a question.
And the final words concern animals.
“And also much cattle?”
Apparently, even the animals of Nineveh matter.
That is a remarkable ending to a story about a prophet who wanted his enemies destroyed.
And perhaps it contains a lesson our civilization desperately needs.
The circle of compassion must become larger than the boundaries of our own interests.
✍️ FROM THE PILGRIM’S DESK
The World Does Not Belong to Us
I sometimes wonder what would happen if human beings stopped imagining ourselves as the owners of everything.
We speak about our forests.
Our rivers.
Our mountains.
Our wildlife.
Our natural resources.
But what exactly do we mean by our?
A river existed long before anyone claimed ownership of its banks.
Birds migrate without consulting national borders.
Trees do not recognize property deeds.
And the animals sharing our cities have no understanding of municipal zoning ordinances.
As an Urban Pilgrim Nun, I believe we must learn to inhabit the world without imagining that everything exists for our convenience.
That does not mean abandoning human needs.
People require housing, transportation, agriculture, and infrastructure.
But those needs must be balanced with the health of the ecosystems that sustain us.
I do not believe simplicity requires rejecting modern life.
I believe it requires asking better questions about how we live.
How much do we genuinely need?
What are we damaging unnecessarily?
Who benefits from our patterns of consumption?
And who bears the consequences?
Today, as world leaders discuss biodiversity, I want to remember something wonderfully simple.
We are not the only creatures trying to make a living on this planet.
🎙️ TODAY’S SERMON
AND ALSO THE ANIMALS
Jonah 4:1–11
The God Who Refuses to Make Compassion Small
There is something wonderfully ridiculous about the prophet Jonah.
He is one of the most successful prophets in the Bible.
And he is absolutely furious about it.
Think about that.
Jonah receives a mission.
He is supposed to warn Nineveh.
Nineveh is associated with Assyria, the imperial power that became one of ancient Israel’s great enemies.
Jonah does not want to go.
He runs in the opposite direction.
He boards a ship.
A storm arrives.
He ends up inside a great fish.
Eventually, he reaches Nineveh.
And when he finally delivers his warning, the people respond.
They repent.
The city is spared.
Mission accomplished.
You would think Jonah would be delighted.
But he is not.
He is angry.
In fact, he is so angry that he tells God he would rather die.
Why?
Because God has shown mercy.
Jonah wanted judgment.
He wanted destruction.
He wanted the people of Nineveh to receive what he believed they deserved.
Instead, they receive another opportunity.
And Jonah cannot stand it.
Now, the Book of Jonah is fascinating from the perspective of historical-critical biblical scholarship.
Although its central character is associated with a prophet mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, most scholars do not regard the book as a straightforward historical account of that prophet’s adventures.
It is generally understood as a carefully constructed narrative, often interpreted as satire, theological fiction, or a didactic story.
Its precise date remains debated, but many scholars place its composition in the post-exilic period.
The story uses exaggeration, irony, and humor to challenge its audience.
A prophet runs away from God.
Foreign sailors behave more responsibly than the prophet.
An enormous fish becomes an unlikely instrument of rescue.
An entire city responds to a remarkably brief warning.
Even the animals participate in the city’s public repentance.
And the prophet becomes furious when his preaching succeeds.
This is not accidental comedy.
The story is exposing the limitations of Jonah’s moral imagination.
He believes compassion should operate within boundaries.
Some people deserve mercy.
Others deserve destruction.
And Jonah has already decided which category Nineveh belongs in.
But the narrative refuses to cooperate with him.
At the end of the story, Jonah sits outside the city.
He is still hoping to see what will happen.
A plant grows and provides him with shade.
Jonah is delighted.
Finally, something is going his way.
Then the plant dies.
And Jonah becomes miserable again.
God asks whether Jonah is right to be angry about the plant.
Jonah insists that he is.
Then comes the final question.
If Jonah can care so deeply about a plant that he did not grow, why should God not care about the people of Nineveh?
And then the author adds those extraordinary words.
“And also much cattle?”
The animals matter too.
The book ends there.
No explanation.
No tidy conclusion.
No final speech from Jonah announcing that he has learned his lesson.
Just a question.
And perhaps that is precisely the point.
The audience must answer it.
Now, we should be careful not to turn this ancient text into a modern environmental manifesto.
The author was not writing about international biodiversity conferences.
The text does not present contemporary conservation science.
And its references to animals belong within the literary and theological world of ancient Israel.
But historical interpretation does not prevent contemporary ethical reflection.
It gives us a responsible starting point.
The final question of Jonah challenges a narrow understanding of compassion.
It asks whether concern should extend beyond the boundaries of our immediate loyalties.
And that question has profound implications.
We live in a world where people often divide life into categories.
Useful and useless.
Valuable and expendable.
Native and foreign.
Productive and unproductive.
Desirable and undesirable.
Some lives receive protection.
Others become invisible.
The Book of Jonah unsettles that way of thinking.
The prophet is concerned about his own comfort.
God’s question directs attention toward an entire city.
And the animals.
That contrast is striking.
Jonah grieves over the loss of his shade.
But he struggles to care about the lives of others.
I wonder how often we behave similarly.
We become angry when our convenience is interrupted.
We become frustrated when something costs more.
We complain when our routines must change.
But we may pay little attention to the ecological consequences of the systems supporting those conveniences.
A forest disappears somewhere far away.
A river becomes polluted.
An animal population declines.
A community loses access to clean water.
And because these consequences are not immediately visible, they remain outside our daily concerns.
Ecological theology asks us to enlarge our moral imagination.
The Earth is not merely a collection of resources awaiting human consumption.
It is a living network of relationships.
Human beings participate in those relationships.
We depend upon them.
And our actions can either support or damage them.
Franciscan spirituality offers a beautiful language for this understanding.
Francis of Assisi spoke of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and the creatures of the Earth.
His language reflects a medieval Christian worldview, not contemporary ecology.
Nevertheless, his spiritual imagination challenges the assumption that human beings stand entirely apart from the rest of creation.
Clarean spirituality adds another dimension.
Community is not simply an arrangement for obtaining material benefits.
It is a way of living responsibly within relationships.
And relationships require attention.
We cannot care responsibly for what we refuse to notice.
Liberation theology reminds us that ecological damage is not distributed equally.
People with limited financial resources may have fewer opportunities to avoid polluted environments, unsafe housing, or inadequate infrastructure.
Communities whose livelihoods depend directly upon forests, fisheries, agriculture, or waterways can experience severe consequences when ecosystems deteriorate.
Indigenous communities may also face threats to territories that sustain their cultures and ways of life.
We should not treat ecological protection and human dignity as competing concerns.
They are deeply connected.
From my anarcho-communist perspective, this raises questions about concentrated control over land, resources, and economic decision-making.
Who determines how forests are used?
Who profits from destructive practices?
Who participates in decisions about conservation?
And are local communities treated as partners or obstacles?
I believe voluntary cooperation, shared stewardship, and meaningful participation offer important principles for addressing these questions.
But ecological responsibility also requires scientific knowledge, effective institutions, and cooperation across borders.
A river does not become less polluted simply because we adopt the correct political vocabulary.
We must actually change what happens to the river.
Feminist and queer theology deepen this conversation.
Both invite us to question rigid hierarchies that classify some forms of life as inherently superior to others.
Historically, claims about what is natural have sometimes been used to justify the exclusion of women and LGBTQIA people.
But nature is not a simple rulebook for human social arrangements.
Biological diversity is real.
Human dignity is an ethical commitment.
And neither should be reduced to simplistic arguments about what supposedly belongs.
Ecological humility means recognizing that the living world is more complicated than our categories.
Now, where is God in the story of Jonah?
I do not imagine God as a supernatural administrator deciding which species deserve to survive.
Following John D. Caputo, I understand God as the insistence of compassion.
The call that interrupts our indifference.
The possibility of mercy beyond our preferred boundaries.
The summons toward responsibility when our comfort tempts us to look away.
God does not force Jonah to become compassionate.
The story ends with Jonah still confronted by a question.
That is important.
The divine call does not erase human freedom.
It insists.
It challenges.
It invites.
And it leaves us responsible for our response.
God insists when we recognize the dignity of people we have been taught to fear.
God insists when communities protect vulnerable ecosystems.
God insists when conservation includes the knowledge and rights of Indigenous peoples.
God insists when we question economic arrangements that reward unnecessary destruction.
God insists when we remember that the living Earth contains more than human interests.
And perhaps God insists most powerfully through the final question of Jonah.
What about the animals?
What about the creatures who cannot speak at international conferences?
What about the forests that cannot negotiate?
What about the rivers that cannot vote?
What about the species whose disappearance might go unnoticed until it is too late?
Today, representatives gather in Armenia to discuss biodiversity.
Their work involves complicated questions of science, economics, governance, and international cooperation.
There will be disagreements.
There will be negotiations.
There will be competing priorities.
And there will be questions about whether governments are prepared to act upon their commitments.
But beneath all those discussions lies a remarkably simple ethical challenge.
How large is our circle of concern?
Does it include only ourselves?
Our families?
Our communities?
Our nations?
Our species?
Or can it expand?
The Book of Jonah does not provide a complete environmental policy.
It provides something that must come before responsible policy.
A challenge to our indifference.
The prophet wanted a narrow world.
The story insists upon a larger one.
And its final words still echo.
And also the animals.
May we become people who hear that question.
May we become communities willing to answer it.
And may our compassion grow large enough to include the living world upon which we all depend.
Amen.
🌍 THE WORLD OUTSIDE OUR DOOR
COP17 Opens Today: The World Takes Stock of Nature
Reported Facts — October 19, 2026
Today, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP17, begins its formal meetings in Yerevan, Armenia.
The conference runs from October 19–30, 2026, under the theme “Taking Action for Nature.”
The opening ceremony took place yesterday, October 18.
This conference is particularly important because it marks the first collective review of progress under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022.
That framework includes 23 targets intended to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
One prominent goal is to conserve at least 30% of the world’s land and marine areas by 2030.
The Convention on Biological Diversity provides the official meeting information and agenda.
On October 18, the Convention’s Secretariat published its account of a new global assessment of biodiversity progress.
The report found that nearly 90% of participating countries have established national biodiversity targets.
However, fewer than half of the national targets assessed by countries are currently on track.
The report also identifies significant gaps in financing, implementation, and the reduction of environmentally harmful subsidies.
Reporting published today by Reuters highlights disagreements over conservation funding, the need to reform subsidies that damage ecosystems, and the challenge of turning international commitments into measurable results.
Urban Pilgrim Commentary
A conference cannot save a forest merely by issuing a declaration.
Promises matter.
But implementation matters more.
From my Franciscan Clarean perspective, ecological responsibility begins with recognizing that the Earth is not simply a warehouse of resources.
From my anarcho-communist perspective, environmental decisions should also consider concentrated economic power, community participation, and the rights of people directly affected by conservation policies.
Protecting biodiversity must not become an excuse to displace Indigenous communities or disregard the needs of people experiencing poverty.
Nor should economic development become an automatic justification for ecological destruction.
The ethical challenge is to protect the living Earth while respecting the people whose lives are intertwined with it.
📚 SCHOLAR’S CORNER
Why Does Jonah End with a Question?
The Book of Jonah has an unusually open ending.
Most biblical prophetic books conclude with a declaration, warning, promise, or vision.
Jonah ends with a question about divine compassion.
The narrative never tells us how Jonah responds.
That omission is significant.
The reader is left to consider whether Jonah’s anger is justified.
The Hebrew text’s final reference to animals also echoes the earlier scene in which Nineveh’s animals participate in the city’s repentance.
This repetition reinforces the story’s unusual attention to nonhuman life.
The literary structure invites the audience to become part of the conversation.
Sometimes Scripture refuses to provide an answer because the question itself is the lesson.
❓ QUESTION EVERYTHING
Does Nature Have Value Beyond Its Usefulness to Humans?
We frequently defend forests because they absorb carbon.
We protect wetlands because they reduce flooding.
We preserve insects because they pollinate crops.
These are important reasons.
But are they the only reasons?
Would a species matter if it provided no obvious economic benefit?
Would a forest deserve protection if it could not be converted into a profitable resource?
And what happens when the value of living things is measured entirely through human convenience?
Can we recognize ecological value without reducing every creature to a service provider?
🌿 CREATION IS OUR MONASTERY
A Sidewalk Is an Ecosystem
You do not need to travel into a wilderness area to encounter biodiversity.
Consider an ordinary city sidewalk.
Grass may grow between cracks.
Ants travel along its edges.
Birds search for food.
Trees provide shade.
Fungi and microorganisms inhabit the surrounding soil.
Even a small urban green space can support multiple forms of life.
Today, spend five minutes observing one small outdoor area.
Notice what grows there.
Notice what moves.
Notice what changes.
You do not need to identify every species.
Simply pay attention.
Ecological awareness begins when the ordinary world stops being invisible.
🏳️🌈 QUEER WISDOM
Nature Is More Complicated Than Our Categories
People sometimes invoke nature to defend rigid social expectations.
They claim that only one kind of family is natural.
Only one expression of gender is acceptable.
Only one way of living is legitimate.
But the natural world contains extraordinary diversity.
Different species exhibit different reproductive systems, social structures, developmental patterns, and behaviors.
These observations do not automatically determine human ethics.
We should not try to prove human dignity by finding an animal that behaves like us.
Human rights do not depend upon animal comparisons.
But ecological diversity can encourage humility.
The living world is not obligated to fit neatly inside our assumptions.
💡 ONE BIG IDEA
Multispecies Justice
Multispecies justice is an emerging approach in environmental ethics that asks how human decisions affect other living beings.
It challenges the assumption that only human interests deserve moral consideration.
Different thinkers approach the concept in different ways.
Some emphasize animal welfare.
Others focus on ecosystems, interdependence, and the responsibilities created by shared environments.
The concept does not eliminate difficult choices.
Agriculture, housing, public health, and conservation sometimes involve competing needs.
But it encourages us to examine those choices carefully.
The Urban Pilgrim question:
What changes when we remember that other creatures must also live with the consequences of our decisions?
✊ SAINT, HERETIC & TROUBLEMAKER OF THE DAY
Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen was a twelfth-century Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, visionary, and natural philosopher.
She wrote about theology, medicine, music, and the natural world.
One concept associated with her thought is viriditas, often translated as greenness or flourishing vitality.
Her understanding of creation reflected medieval Christian cosmology rather than modern environmental science.
Nevertheless, her writings offer a powerful image of life as something dynamic, interconnected, and worthy of contemplation.
Hildegard also exercised intellectual and spiritual authority in a world where women’s opportunities were significantly restricted.
She reminds us that spirituality can involve creativity, observation, music, and attention to the living world.
A flourishing life requires more than survival. It requires conditions in which life can grow.
🕊️ WORDS FOR THE ROAD
The Earth is not waiting for humanity to grant it permission to exist.
📓 PILGRIM JOURNAL PROMPT
Who Shares My Neighborhood?
Think about the nonhuman creatures living near your home.
Birds.
Insects.
Trees.
Squirrels.
Domestic animals.
Perhaps creatures you rarely notice.
Choose one.
What does it need to survive?
How might ordinary human activities affect it?
What small change could make your neighborhood more hospitable to other forms of life?
Write about what you discover.
😇 HOLY FOOLERY
Jonah Attends an Environmental Conference
Conference Moderator:
“Jonah, what are your thoughts on biodiversity?”
Jonah:
“I would prefer that Nineveh be destroyed.”
Moderator:
“That seems rather extreme.”
Jonah:
“And I would like my shade plant back.”
Moderator:
“We’re discussing ecosystem protection.”
Jonah:
“Exactly. Protect my plant.”
Moderator:
“What about the people of Nineveh?”
Jonah:
“No.”
Moderator:
“The animals?”
Jonah:
“Absolutely not.”
Moderator:
“Jonah, have you considered therapy?”
Jonah:
“I tried spending three days in a fish.”
Moderator:
“And?”
Jonah:
“Terrible accommodations.”
🙏 PRAYER FOR PEACE ACROSS ALL FAITHS
A Prayer for the Living Earth
Sacred Mystery beyond every name,
may we learn to live with humility.
May forests flourish.
May rivers remain clean.
May oceans sustain life.
May endangered creatures receive protection.
May communities affected by ecological damage find justice.
May Indigenous peoples be respected as partners in decisions affecting their lands and cultures.
May Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Pagans, Indigenous spiritual communities, humanists, atheists, and people of every tradition cooperate in caring for the Earth.
May scientific knowledge guide responsible decisions.
May compassion challenge unnecessary destruction.
And may our concern extend beyond the boundaries of our own convenience.
Amen.
🕯️ FRANCISCAN CLAREAN REFLECTION
Brother Bird, Sister Tree, Neighbor Squirrel
Franciscan spirituality invites us to recognize kinship with the living world.
Clarean spirituality reminds us that life flourishes through relationships.
Together, they offer a simple challenge.
Live without imagining that everything belongs to you.
The bird outside your window does not need to become your possession.
The tree along your walking route does not exist solely to provide shade.
The squirrel crossing the sidewalk is not an inconvenience merely because it interrupts your thoughts.
These creatures share the world with us.
Franciscan simplicity encourages us to reduce unnecessary consumption.
Clarean community encourages responsibility toward others.
Ecological spirituality expands our understanding of those relationships.
We do not need to own the Earth to love it.
🌱 THE HERBAL MINUTE
Basil — A Culinary Herb with Ecological Benefits
Basil, Ocimum basilicum, is a familiar culinary herb.
Its leaves are commonly used in soups, salads, vegetable dishes, and sauces.
Fresh basil can add flavor to inexpensive meals.
It can also be grown in containers where adequate light and growing conditions are available.
When basil plants flower, their blossoms may attract bees and other pollinating insects.
Gardeners who want to support pollinators can allow some plants to flower rather than harvesting every leaf.
This offers a small example of how food cultivation and ecological awareness can coexist.
Safety note: Ordinary culinary use of basil is generally well tolerated, although allergies are possible. Concentrated basil essential oil and medicinal extracts are not equivalent to the culinary herb and should not be used as substitutes for medical treatment. Do not consume unidentified wild plants.
Today’s herbal wisdom:
A plant can nourish us while also participating in a larger community of life.
🎒 URBAN PREPAREDNESS
The Neighborhood Shade Map
Preparedness is not only about emergencies.
It is also about understanding the places where we live.
Today, consider the routes you regularly walk.
Which streets have shade?
Where can you find a safe place to rest?
Are there public drinking fountains?
Which buildings provide accessible indoor shelter during extreme weather?
Are there areas where pavement becomes especially hot?
You do not need specialized equipment.
A simple mental map or a few notes on your phone may be enough.
During hot weather, shaded routes can reduce direct sun exposure, although shade does not eliminate heat-related risks.
Public trees and green spaces can also help moderate local temperatures.
Think about accessibility.
A shaded route is not necessarily useful if the sidewalk is broken or the crossing is unsafe.
And remember that neighbors may have different mobility, sensory, or health needs.
A community that understands its local environment can make better decisions during difficult weather.
Preparedness begins with knowing your neighborhood, not fearing it.
🥾 OUTDOOR PILGRIM SKILL
Walking Without Damaging Habitat
Outdoor exploration offers opportunities to appreciate the natural world.
But careless travel can damage the places we enjoy.
One of the simplest outdoor skills is learning where to place your feet.
On established trails, remain on the designated route when practical and safe.
Avoid creating shortcuts across vegetation.
Do not trample sensitive plants to obtain a photograph.
Keep a respectful distance from wildlife.
Avoid disturbing nests, burrows, or other animal shelters.
Carry out litter.
And do not collect plants, rocks, or other natural materials where doing so is prohibited.
If a route becomes unsafe or inaccessible, choose an appropriate alternative rather than forcing your way through sensitive habitat.
This is consistent with Leave No Trace principles.
It is also consistent with Franciscan simplicity.
We do not need to possess every beautiful thing we encounter.
Sometimes the most respectful action is simply to observe and continue walking.
The best pilgrim leaves the landscape available for the next traveler—and for the creatures already living there.
🚶 PILGRIM PRACTICE FOR TODAY
Five Minutes for Biodiversity
Today, take a short walk or spend a few minutes observing the outdoors from an accessible location.
Identify three living things.
They might be a tree, a bird, and an insect.
Or three different plants.
Or any other living organisms you can observe safely.
Notice something about each.
Its movement.
Its shape.
Its surroundings.
Its relationship with the environment.
Then choose one practical act of care.
Pick up a piece of litter if it is safe to do so.
Avoid disturbing a plant.
Learn the name of a local species.
Share reliable information about habitat protection.
Or simply leave a small patch of nature undisturbed.
You do not need to transform the world in five minutes.
The practice is about cultivating attention.
We become more responsible neighbors when we begin to notice who shares the neighborhood with us.
✨ CLOSING BLESSING
May we learn to live with humility.
May Francis teach us kinship with the living Earth.
May Clare teach us the responsibility of community.
May Jonah remind us that compassion must become larger than our preferences.
May liberation theology challenge the arrangements that expose vulnerable communities to unnecessary ecological harm.
May feminist wisdom help us recognize relationships and labor too often overlooked.
May queer wisdom challenge the assumption that difference is a defect.
May ecological spirituality teach us to recognize the beauty and complexity of life.
May our preparedness become a practice of care rather than fear.
May our outdoor skills deepen our respect for the landscapes through which we travel.
May scientific knowledge inform our decisions.
May communities have meaningful opportunities to participate in protecting their environments.
May the needs of people experiencing poverty never be dismissed in the name of conservation.
And may ecological responsibility never become an excuse for domination.
May the God who does not rule through supernatural coercion,
but insists whenever love, justice, compassion, and responsibility call us toward action,
continue inviting us into a fuller life.
Observe.
Learn.
Protect.
Share.
Cooperate.
Respect.
And remember the final question of Jonah.
The prophet wanted destruction.
The story insisted upon compassion.
The prophet cared about his own comfort.
The story directed his attention toward an entire city.
And then, almost as an afterthought, came those remarkable words.
And also the animals.
May we never become so absorbed in human ambition that we forget the other lives sharing this planet.
May we never imagine that wealth grants unlimited permission to destroy.
May we never confuse ownership with responsibility.
May we never treat the Earth as an endless supply of disposable things.
For we are pilgrims.
Travelers upon a living planet.
People whose lives depend upon soil, water, air, plants, animals, and relationships we do not fully understand.
We are not separate from creation.
We are participants within it.
And our flourishing cannot be permanently separated from the flourishing of the world around us.
Today, as representatives gather in Armenia to discuss the future of biodiversity, may their work be guided by evidence, cooperation, accountability, and respect for human dignity.
May international commitments become practical action.
May communities protect what they love.
May those who have been excluded from environmental decisions find meaningful opportunities to participate.
And may each of us discover that ecological responsibility begins in ordinary places.
A sidewalk.
A garden.
A neighborhood tree.
A river.
A bird outside the window.
A small patch of green.
A moment of attention.
A decision to care.
The Earth does not belong to us alone.
And compassion should never stop at the boundaries of our own species.
Eternal Progression • A Fuller Life for Everyone • Live and Help Live.
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